June 2012

Affordable Care Act
commentary
Time to Focus on Healthcare Costs
Arthur L. Kellermann
Jun 29, 2012
U.S. News & World Report
The bottom line is this: With or without the Affordable Care Act, the nation can no longer kick the can down the road on costs, writes Arthur Kellermann.
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Emergency Preparedness
commentary
Why Aren't Americans Listening to Disaster Preparedness Messages?
Lori Uscher-Pines, Anita Chandra, Joie D. Acosta, Arthur L. Kellermann
Jun 29, 2012
The RAND Blog
Given the recent spate of highly publicized disasters, why don't more Americans pay attention to the advice of public health officials? The messages they are getting are largely based on unverified assumptions, not hard evidence. Equally concerning, these assumptions may inadvertently hinder preparedness.
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Military Compensation
blog
RAND Research Contributes to the 11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation
Jun 29, 2012
Adequate compensation is critical to recruiting and retaining an all-volunteer force—in peacetime and wartime alike. To assess the effectiveness of U.S. military pay and benefits, the president directs a review of military compensation every four years. Four RAND studies contributed to this review.
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Health Care Costs
commentary
Time to Shift Talk to Health Care Costs
Arthur L. Kellermann
Jun 28, 2012
The RAND Blog
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act is unquestionably historic, but there is a critical aspect of health care reform that still needs to be fixed. The nation needs to take decisive action to address the rising costs of health care, writes Arthur Kellermann.
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Global Security
blog
Violence in Syria Intensifies as UN Plans Action Group Meeting in Geneva
Jun 28, 2012
Violence in Syria has only intensified since the failed ceasefire, leading the UN to suspend its observer mission and prompting comparisons to the war in Bosnia in the 1990s.
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Economics
commentary
Pro-Growth Austerity
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Jun 27, 2012
The Weekly Standard
Government austerity and economic growth are not antonyms: Austerity in debt-financed government spending complements economic growth, rather than conflicting with it, writes Charles Wolf.
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Gulf Coast States
commentary
Gulf States Among Top in New HIV, AIDS Cases
Vivian L. Towe
Jun 27, 2012
The RAND Blog
Improving HIV prevention and medical care delivery to persons living with HIV/AIDS should be a collaborative effort, particularly in the Gulf States region, where resources are limited but the epidemic is expanding, writes Vivian Towe.
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Special Needs Populations
blog
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Vulnerable Populations
Lisa S. Meredith
Jun 26, 2012
June is National PTSD Awareness Month and June 27th is PTSD Awareness Day, providing an opportunity to recognize the challenges faced by survivors of trauma who live with PTSD symptoms. RAND research is helping increase awareness about the disorder and inform policy about how to prevent and address it.
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Egypt
commentary
Egypt's New President Has the Mandate—What about the Power?
Jeffrey Martini
Jun 25, 2012
The RAND Blog
Mohamed Morsi's victory is a huge step in Egypt's political development, but his authorities were recently curtailed by the military and it is unclear how much power he will actually wield, writes Jeffrey Martini.
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Health Care Quality
announcement
Former RAND Researcher Elizabeth McGlynn Receives AcademyHealth's Distinguished Investigator Award
Jun 25, 2012
Former RAND researcher Elizabeth McGlynn has been honored with AcademyHealth's 2012 Distinguished Investigator Award. Her extensive research on health care quality has had an enormous impact on how experts evaluate health care reform.
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Early Childhood Education
commentary
Children Left Behind with Brown's Cuts to Programs
Lynn A. Karoly
Jun 24, 2012
Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget for the next fiscal year slices funds from established, successful programs that for decades have helped California's youngest and most at-risk children gain a foothold in their own educations.
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Engineers and Engineering
announcement
James Drake, 'Father of Windsurfing' and RAND Engineer, Dies at 83
Jun 22, 2012
James Drake, a former RAND aeronautical engineer who is also considered the father of windsurfing died on June 19 in his hometown of Pfafftown, North Carolina. He was 83.
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Politics and Government
commentary
The Egyptian Military Wins Again
Jeffrey Martini
Jun 22, 2012
Foreign Affairs
The Muslim Brotherhood now faces a choice. It can seat Mursi and continue to legitimate a post-Mubarak transition that seems designed to advance the narrow interests of Egypt's officer corps. Or it can return to the streets with the aim of unseating the military council, writes Jeff Martini.
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
blog
Resources for Servicemembers and Veterans with PTSD
Jun 21, 2012
As Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day approaches on June 27th, policymakers continue to look for ways to best help our nation's servicemembers and veterans with PTSD and other combat related mental health problems.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Debating Hillary
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Jun 21, 2012
Foreign Policy
Absent further developments or revelations, history will judge Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state as solid if unspectacular, writes James Dobbins.
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Educational Program Evaluation
blog
Can Summer Learning Programs Prevent Skill and Knowledge Loss?
Jun 20, 2012
Today is National Summer Learning Day, a day established to raise awareness of the significance summer learning plays in educational achievement.
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Health Disparities
commentary
Be Hungry or Be Sick? Proposed Medi-Cal Co-Pay Could Force the Choice for Many
Arthur L. Kellermann, Robin M. Weinick
Jun 20, 2012
The RAND Blog
The $15 co-pay a mother is expected to cover represents half of a full week's food costs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
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Russia
commentary
Putin's Waiting Game
Andrew S. Weiss
Jun 19, 2012
Foreign Policy
The most important yet overlooked aspect of the current situation may be the cynicism and casual indifference that Putin has displayed toward the U.S.-Russian relationship in the face of his much bigger problems at home, writes Andrew S. Weiss.
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Petroleum
blog
U.S. Military's Role with Petroleum Is to Assure Security
Jun 19, 2012
When the U.S. Department of Defense purchases oil, it has almost no effect on world oil prices, according to new RAND reports. That means reducing fuel consumption is the only effective way for the Pentagon to cut its petroleum expenses.
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European Union
commentary
The Case for a Cyber-Security Safety Board: A Global View on Risk
Neil Robinson
Jun 18, 2012
Security Europe
Innovative approaches are needed to break the current stalemate of information sharing and to build a solid and reliable evidence base on the state of cyber-security, writes Neil Robinson.
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Health Care Costs
commentary
We Need to Know What Physicians Are Thinking
Robert H. Brook
Jun 17, 2012
ABIM Foundation's Medical Professionalism Blog
Before we allow others to implement policies attempting to optimize the use of physician time or reduce the amount of equivocal or inappropriate care, we need to understand what physicians think about these issues and what they are prepared to do about them, writes Robert H. Brook.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
Getting the Threat Right
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jun 15, 2012
CATO Unbound
Would-be jihadist warriors are angry, eager for adventure, out to assuage personal humiliation and demonstrate their manhood. Many appear to be motivated by personal crises—terrorism does not attract the well adjusted, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Military Health and Health Care
commentary
Preventing Military Suicides Is a Nationwide Effort
Rajeev Ramchand
Jun 14, 2012
The RAND Blog
The military is experiencing a higher number of suicides than it has ever experienced at this time before. RAND research has a number of recommendations to prevent suicide among military personnel based.
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Nuclear Deterrence
blog
Defusing Iran's Nuclear Threat
Jun 14, 2012
Excepts from a Congressional Briefing held on June 7, 2012 featuring RAND expert Alireza Nader.
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Measuring Health Care Costs
blog
Physicians Can Lead the Way in Reducing Health Care Waste
Jun 14, 2012
Physicians are in an ideal position to identify and eliminate health care waste by categorizing all medical services into four distinct types.
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Health Information Technology
commentary
Unraveling the IT Productivity Paradox—Lessons for Health Care
Spencer S. Jones, Paul Heaton, Robert S. Rudin @rsrudin, Eric C. Schneider
Jun 13, 2012
New England Journal of Medicine
Although health care organizations have favorable characteristics that can maximize IT's benefits, the reengineering of health care delivery is only beginning, write Spencer Jones, Paul Heaton, Robert Rudin, and Eric Schneider.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Anatomy of a War Game
Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett
Jun 12, 2012
World Policy Blog
War games are especially important as countries prepare to counter adversaries who use asymmetric strategies or weapons, forcing military planners to deal with unfamiliar threats, writes Bruce Bennett.
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Obesity
commentary
Bloomberg Right That Portion Control Works
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Jun 11, 2012
USA Today
Regulations requiring the restaurant industry to serve standardized portion sizes should be mandated and enforced by the same authorities responsible for checking hygienic conditions in food outlets, writes Deborah Cohen.
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Global Security
commentary
Setting International Norms on Cyberwar Might Beat a Treaty
Martin C. Libicki
Jun 11, 2012
U.S. News & World Report, Debate Club
Restricting cyberweapon development could be harmful inasmuch as its core activity is the discovery of vulnerabilities in software--the very activity also required to bulletproof software against attacks from criminal hackers, writes Martin Libicki.
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Major Combat Operations
announcement
John Gordon Receives Arthur Goodzeit Book Award for 'Fighting for MacArthur'
Jun 8, 2012
Fighting for MacArthur: The Navy and Marine Corps' Desperate Defense of the Philippines, a World War II history written by John Gordon, has won 2011 the Arthur Goodzeit Book Award.
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Nuclear Terrorism
blog
A Conversation with Philip Taubman, Author of The Partnership
Jun 8, 2012
RAND hosted an event featuring Philip Taubman, author of 'The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb' on June 1, 2012.
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Environmental Sustainability
blog
Bringing Sustainability to the Louisiana Coast
David G. Groves
Jun 7, 2012
Policy Researcher David Groves describes RAND's role in helping to develop a plan to guide Louisiana's coastal investments, help its coastal citizens plan for the future, and create a sustainable coast.
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Arts and Policy
commentary
Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy
Erik Nemeth
Jun 7, 2012
Chicago Tribune
Proactive protection and repatriation of artworks and artifacts can demonstrate our respect for another nation's heritage when the chaos of conflict obscures the value of cultural identity, writes Erik Nemeth.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Getting Over the Privacy Hurdle to Mileage-Based Road Fees
Liisa Ecola
Jun 6, 2012
DC.STREETSBLOG.org
There is no need for privacy concerns to halt all discussion of new technologies to help address America's mounting transportation funding crisis, writes Liisa Ecola.
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Patient Safety
blog
Multiple Patient Safety Events in Hospitals
Jun 5, 2012
A patient safety event is any event or action that could lead to a worse outcome for a patient, from bedsores to post-operative respiratory failure.
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Socioeconomic Status
commentary
The Inequality Debate
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Jun 4, 2012
The International Economy
The inequality debate should focus more on the sources and reasons for inequality, and less on how much inequality there is, or how much it has changed, writes Charles Wolf, Jr.
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Health Insurance Cost Sharing
blog
Expanding Consumer-Directed Health Plans Could Help Cut Overall Health Care Spending
Jun 1, 2012
If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually—about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly.
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